


Find me in Cannes

by sweet_mysterie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cannes, Cannes film festival, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Famous!Louis, France - Freeform, M/M, close father son relationship, famous! Louis, intern!Liam, rich and famous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-05
Packaged: 2017-12-17 20:25:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/871615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweet_mysterie/pseuds/sweet_mysterie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn and his father moved to a small town in the South of France after the death of his mother. The only life he’s known is a simple one, far removed from the rich opulent life they lived when he was a baby. The only exposure to the rich and famous he receives is when, every year, he goes over to Cannes and Monaco to help out the Styles Catering Company during the film festival and the Grand Prix. This year something a bit different happens, this year involves a chance encounter with an Irish online journalist, Niall, his intern Liam, who is trying to step out of his father’s shadow, who are shadowing international film star Louis Tomlinson. Zayn, who normally turns his nose up at the rich and famous, is slowly drawn in to Liam's oblivious charm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Find me in Cannes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is from my tumblr, I'm getting my readers to pick the next story I write. I'm giving them 2 options and a prologue for each option. This is the prologue for option 1. You guys can vote too (leave me a comment saying which you'd like me to write first). The prologue for the second option will be posted next week. Here is the link which outlines both options - http://sweetmysterie.tumblr.com/post/54037784278/pick-my-next-story
> 
> Also, for this story I changed Zayn’s father’s name because I didn’t think it would be fair to use his parent’s real names as this story deals with sensitive family issues and in my head I felt that it was only fair to make it as far removed from reality as possible.
> 
> Translation: Baba - father/dad in Arabic  
> Nani - grandmother  
> Daada - grandfather
> 
> I know Nani is for the mother’s side and Daada is for the father’s side, but I thought Nani and Nana would get too confusing.

“Zayn son, come here.” Zayn looked up at his Baba, happy to have his father’s attention after such a long and confusing day being passed between all the quite, sad people. Zayn waddled over to his Baba, not used to walking in the suite his Nani had stuffed him in to and gave him smile.

“Baba” he called out when he finally made his way over.

“Baby” his father said, picking Zayn up. “ Did your Nana bring you to say bye bye to mummy?” his father’s voice broke as he spoke of Zayn’s mother and Zayn didn’t understand why everyone was so sad and why they all cried when they talked about her.

“No, Daada said you bring me” Zayn said, bringing his small, chubby hand up to clumsily swipe at the tear that had made its way down his Baba’s face.

His Baba smiled softly down at him. “Thank you baby” he said, gently taking Zayn’s hand and bringing it down. “Baba is ok, just a bit sad. Come, I’ll take you to say bye to mummy.”

“Ok Baba” Zayn said, gripping his father’s collar tightly.

Rehan slowly made his way to the front of the hall where the coffin lay, cover open. Rehan dropped to his knees in front of the coffin, bringing Zayn down with him.

“Mummy?” Zayn asked, looking up at his Baba questioningly.

“Yes baby, that’s mummy” Rehan said softly to his son.

Zayn reached out his chubby arms, trying to get out of his father’s grasp, searching yearning for his mother’s instead. When his Baba didn’t let him go, Zayn looked up at him pleadingly and said Mummy?”

Rehan only clutched his son tighter to his chest, “No son, I’m sorry, you can’t go to mummy.” He said, his voice completely breaking as fresh tears ran down the well worn tear tracks on his face.   Out  of the corner of his eye he saw his own father, Zayn’s Daada, motioning to take Zayn but Rehan shook his head knowing it owed it to son to explain why he couldn’t have his mummy. Rehan kissed the top of his son’s head reverently before turning Zayn around to face him. Rehan softly brushed Zayn feather soft hair away from eyes and placed another kiss on his son’s forehead.

“Zayn, mummy’s gone now. Remember how mummy was sick?” Rehan asked.

Zayn nodded, his wide eyes never leaving his Baba’s.

“Well mummy was very very sick, it was a type of sick the doctors couldn’t fix. Remember mummy and I told you?”

Zayn simply nodded again, not really remembering.

“Mummy tried to get better, she tried really really hard for you baby, but she couldn’t do it. I’m so sorry baby.” Rehan couldn’t bring himself to tell his son that his mother had died.

Zayn blinked up at his Baba, not really understand what he had told him, but he understood enough to know that his mummy wasn’t going to hug him or sing to him anymore. “Gone?” he finally asked his Baba, his lower lip wobbling threateningly.

“Yes baby, she’s gone.” Rehan managed to choke out, cradling his son close.

Zayn turned his head to look at his mummy, who wasn’t really his mummy, she was so still, his mummy would have smiled at him and maybe sung him something special. Zayn turned back to his Baba, feeling confused and tired; he buried his face in the crook of this Baba’s neck and started crying.

“Shh baby it’s ok” Rehan cooed, as he stood and started to rock his son back and forth, gently rubbing his back like he used to when Zayn was a just a small baby. “Mummy still loves you, even though she won’t be here every day she still loves you. But don’t worry baby, you’ve still got me and I won’t go anywhere. Hush now Zaynie baby.” Rehan brought Zayn even closer to himself and planted a kiss on his son’s check. “Don’t worry baby, Baba’s got you, I’ll always have you.”

Zayn’s sobbing slowly became quite whimpers and sniffles and his father’s words and slow rocking comforted him. As he tentatively uncurled, the reached up to wrap his arms around his Baba’s neck, holding on to him tightly.

~~

It had been three weeks since the funeral and Zayn was slowly getting used to the idea that his mummy wasn’t coming home. For the first week and a half he asked for her all the time and it broke Rehan’s heart each time he had to tell his son his mummy wasn’t there and tears would swim in Zayn’s eyes. Once Zayn understood the notion that his mummy wasn’t coming home anymore it wouldn’t be uncommon for Rehan to find a missing Zayn in the wardrobe hidden behind his mother’s old coats, nuzzled with her old t-shirts that still held her comforting smell.

“Zayn son, come on, come out of there.” Rehan said trying to coax Zayn out for what felt like the fiftieth time that week.

Zayn peered up at his Baba through thick eyelashes and slowly uncrossed his legs before crawling out. “ ‘Lo Baba” he said meekly.

Rehan stooped down to scoop up his son. “Baby why do you keep hiding in here?”

“Miss mummy” Zayn said, burying his face in his Baba’s shoulder.

Rehan sighed, “Me too son.” It was right then that Rehan decided they had to move to somewhere new, somewhere that didn’t hold painful reminders of the large hole in his life, in his heart. Since the funeral there were times he missed his wife so much, he wished he could be like Zayn and just crawl in to the closet and hide himself amongst her clothes and be comforted by her familiar scent and never come out, but he knew that wasn’t an option. He had to keep going, he had to be strong for his son and that meant they had to move.

~~

“Baba, why is all our things going away?” A distressed Zayn asked, his small hand tugging at his Baba’s jeans as he watched the strange men move all their things out of the house.

Rehan dropped to a knee, coming down to his son’s level. “That’s because we’re moving son.” Seeing Zayn’s confused face, Rehan continued “Did Daada not tell you when you were staying with him last week?”

Zayn scrunched his face up in concentration as he tried hard to remember. “Yes?” Zayn said slowly.

Rehan chuckled at his son’s confusion “Well baby, we’re moving to France.”

Zayn cocked his head, not really grasping what his father was telling him “What’s a france Baba?”

Rehan sighed, he’d foolishly imagined that this would be easier. “France is a country baby. We’re going to move there.” Rehan paused, “but maybe you don’t know what that is yet, you’re only little.”

Zayn pouted at this Baba and stuck his hands on his hip “I’m a big boy, I’m 4!” he said, holding up 4 chubby fingers.

Rehan smiled, “Yes son, that’s right. Ok, since you’re a big boy, you’ll be able to understand what Baba says next?”

Zayn nodded eagerly, wanting to listen hard for his Baba.

“You and I, we’re going to move house, we’re going to a new place. Ok?”

Zayn nodded, wanting to show he understood.

“Remember how mummy always talked about France? We all went on a holiday there before.”

Zayn nodded, a bit slower this time, his father’s words bringing back hazy half memories of sunshine, waves and laughter.

“Mummy loved France a lot, she wanted the three of us to move there, so Baba thought it would be nice and good if you and I moved there for her.” Rehan finished, trying not to let the tears in his eyes fall, he didn’t want to cry in front of his son again.

Zayn was quite for a moment, trying to make sense of what his father had just told him. “Mummy liked France?” he finally asked.

Rehan nodded.

“Do I like France?” Zayn asked.

“Yes son, you liked it there.”

“Ok” Zayn said with a smile. “We can go there.”

Rehan breathed a sigh of relief, the conversation having gone better than he thought. Looking down at his son, he hoped he was making the right decision.

**Author's Note:**

> for more visit my tumblr www.sweetmysterie.tumblr.com


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